Can you sue a property owner in Irvine for an injury? Yes — if a property owner knew, or should have known, about a dangerous condition and failed to fix it or warn you, and you were hurt as a result, you can hold them liable. The Law Offices of Faud Haghighi help injured Irvine residents recover for medical bills, lost wages, and pain. Free consultation, and no fee unless we win.

Whether you were hurt at an Irvine shopping center, apartment complex, office park, grocery store, or parking structure, California law requires property owners to keep their premises reasonably safe. When they don’t, and someone is injured, the owner — and their insurance company — can be held responsible. Attorney Faud Haghighi provides full representation from investigation through settlement or trial, and represents injured people across Irvine and all of Orange County — never the property owners or insurers.

What Is Premises Liability in California?

Premises liability is the legal principle that property owners and occupiers owe a duty of reasonable care to keep their property safe for lawful visitors. Under California Civil Code section 1714, anyone who owns, leases, or controls property can be liable for injuries caused by a failure to maintain it in a reasonably safe condition. The duty applies to the people who control the space — which can include a business tenant, a property management company, or the owner, and sometimes more than one of them at once.

What Types of Premises Liability Cases Do You Handle?

We represent injured people in the full range of premises cases, including:

• Slip and fall accidents — wet floors, spills, freshly mopped surfaces, or leaks left without warning
• Trip and fall accidents — uneven pavement, torn carpet, cracked walkways, or unmarked steps
• Inadequate or negligent security — assaults or robberies enabled by poor lighting, broken locks, or missing security
• Falling objects — merchandise or fixtures that fall in retail and warehouse stores
• Broken stairs, railings, and handrails
• Swimming pool and spa accidents
• Dog bites and animal attacks
• Parking lot and structure injuries — potholes, poor lighting, and unsafe design
• Dangerous conditions on public property, which carry shorter claim deadlines

How Do You Prove a Premises Liability Claim in Irvine?

To win, you generally must establish four elements:

1. The defendant owned, leased, occupied, or controlled the property.
2. They were negligent in the use or maintenance of the property.
3. You were harmed.
4. Their negligence was a substantial factor in causing your harm.

The hardest element is usually proving the owner had notice of the hazard — that they either knew about it or should have known about it.

What Is the Difference Between Actual and Constructive Notice?

California recognizes two ways to prove an owner had notice of a dangerous condition:

• Actual notice — the owner or their employees actually knew about the hazard. For example, a customer reported a spill and nothing was done.
• Constructive notice — the owner should have known because the hazard existed long enough that a reasonable inspection would have found and fixed it. How long the condition was present is often the central question.

What Evidence Helps Prove Notice of a Dangerous Condition?

• Inspection and maintenance logs — or the absence of them
• Prior complaints or incident reports about the same hazard
• Surveillance or security camera footage
• Employee statements and testimony
• Evidence of how long the condition existed before your injury
• Photos of the hazard, the scene, and your injuries

Much of this evidence — especially video — can be erased or recorded over within days, so it’s important to act quickly and let an attorney send a formal demand to preserve it.

What Should You Do After an Injury on Someone’s Property in Irvine?

1. Report the injury to the store, landlord, or manager, and ask for a written incident report.
2. Photograph the hazard, the scene, and your injuries before anything is cleaned up or repaired.
3. Get witness names and phone numbers.
4. Seek medical care promptly, even if the injury seems minor — gaps in treatment are used to dispute your claim.
5. Keep your shoes and clothing from the incident as evidence.
6. Don’t give a recorded statement to the property’s insurer before speaking with an attorney.
7. Contact a premises liability attorney to preserve evidence and protect your deadlines.

Where Do Premises Liability Injuries Happen in Irvine?

We handle injuries at locations throughout the city, including retail centers such as Irvine Spectrum Center and The District, grocery and big-box stores, restaurants, apartment and condominium communities, hotels, office parks, and parking structures. If your injury was specifically a slip or fall, our Irvine slip and fall lawyer page covers those claims in more detail, and you can learn more about negligent property maintenance claims across Orange County.

What Compensation Can You Recover?

California law lets injured visitors pursue compensation for every loss caused by an owner’s negligence:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Costs of rehabilitation, therapy, or in-home care
• Pain, suffering, and emotional distress
• Damages for permanent injury, disability, or disfigurement in serious cases

For severe or life-changing injuries, our Irvine personal injury team pursues the full long-term value of your claim, not just today’s bills.

What If You Were Partly at Fault?

California follows pure comparative negligence, so you can still recover even if you were partly responsible for your own injury — your compensation is simply reduced by your percentage of fault. Insurers often argue that a hazard was “open and obvious” or that you weren’t paying attention, hoping to shift blame and pay less. We anticipate these defenses and build the evidence to meet them.

How Long Do You Have to File a Premises Liability Claim in California?

The statute of limitations is generally two years from the date of the injury. If a government entity owns or controls the property, you may have as little as six months to file a formal claim, so don’t wait to get advice.

Why Choose the Law Offices of Faud Haghighi?

Attorney Faud Haghighi dedicates his practice to representing injured people — never property owners or insurers. Clients work directly with him, not junior staff, and always know where their case stands. He moves quickly to preserve surveillance footage and maintenance records before they disappear, prepares every case as if it may go to trial, and draws on deep familiarity with insurer tactics and the local Orange County courts. The firm works on a contingency basis: no upfront cost, and no fee unless we recover for you.

Our Process, Step by Step

1. Free consultation — confidential, no obligation, no cost.
2. Case evaluation — we identify who controlled the property and who is liable.
3. Investigation — we secure footage, logs, incident reports, and witness statements.
4. Claim filing — we handle every filing and deadline.
5. Negotiation — we pursue a settlement reflecting your full losses.
6. Resolution or trial — if no fair offer comes, we are prepared to go to court.